1. Field
This invention relates to portable containers for liquids and other material and more particularly to containers with flexible side walls and at least one spout and at least one discharge port with the spout having a cap and a tether to retain the cap relative to the spout.
2. State of the Art
There has been increased awareness of the need to take fluids into the body and in particular water. Typically, one would normally simply drink, for example, a glass of water from a convenient source of potable water to take in fluid. Many, if not most municipalities supply potable water to households and other buildings within its limits. Others may have a water well. Of course, there are also a wide variety of water dispensing bottles, water filters, water coolers, and the like for providing drinking water upon demand.
A glass or cup is suitable if not preferred to transfer water directly to the user; but such a vessel may not be the most suitable for that purpose in a wide variety of active situations. In turn, hydration systems have been developed for use in variety of active applications including, for example, during cycling, hiking, jogging, walking, or any other physical exercise or work that leads to a loss of body liquids.
Hydration systems may also be used in situations where an open container like a glass or cup is susceptible to spillage. For example, while driving in a vehicle like an automobile or truck, the driver or passenger is more likely to spill from a cup or glass as the vehicle encounters road irregularities or is otherwise maneuvered to cause some spillage from the glass, cup or the like.
Water containers such as canteens, canvas water bags, goat skins and bota bags have long been in use to allow users to carry or transport liquids such as water. More recently bottled water has become increasingly available in a variety of different sized containers (e.g., liter, half liter and even smaller sizes). Some bottled water containers have open-close or spout valves (sometimes called sport bottles) as part of their cap or closure system so that a user may open to drink and close for transport while walking, hiking, riding, shopping, jogging, gardening, or any other activity that exposes an open container (like a cup or glass) to de-stabilization and spilling of the liquid contents. Typical spout valves are slide valves having a slide that moves relative to a stem to mask and unmask water port(s). A slide valve may be operated by the hands/fingers; but it may also be seen being operated by biting gently on the slide valve which pulling on the bottle to cause relative motion between the slide and the stem.
In active environments like hiking, jogging, biking, and other forms of physical outdoor exercise as well as working hard in a hot environment or in hot weather, the body's need or demand for water may be quite high. At the same time, the user is active and less inclined to divert attention to drinking from a container. Also the user's hands may be occupied or in use. In turn, hydration systems are known in which a tube is interconnected to a reservoir of fluid at one end and in which a bite valve is positioned on the other. The user may then place the bite valve in his or her mouth and by biting with the jaws/teeth, operate a valve between an open position or a closed position. In the open position, fluid may be taken in the user's mouth from the connected container or reservoir because the fluid is placed under pressure or because the user creates a vacuum by sucking with the bite valve open. Of course, as soon as the user releases the bite valve, the valve closes and the fluid flow is terminated.
Camelback Products, Inc. of 1310 Redwood Highway, Petaluma, Calif., 94954 which offers the PEAK BAGGER and RIM RUNNER portable hydration products which include a reservoir, an interconnecting tube and a bite valve. TFO, a division of Nalgae Nunc International, Inc. of Logan, Utah offers hydration systems such as the KALIHARI COMBO (model number 01146-015) which include a reservoir, an interconnecting tube and a bite valve. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,305 (Hopkins, et al.) which discloses a hydration bladder coupled by a tube to a bite valve.
Existing or known hydration systems do not provide for easy access to incorporate solid material, have a cap or closure that can easily become disassociated and are not easily held.